With the abortion known as ARC; the nerfs to the tour, the foundry, the Dyson sphere and now the hourly events; wasting time and resources "revamping" the same busted, tired episodes that no-one plays instead of creating new content; making this game so ridiculously easy a dead body can play it...what keeps me coming back? The sad fact that I am obviously too TRIBBLE to stop, because anyone with an I.Q. higher than their shoe size would have stepped away by now.
I don't care what the header says, I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, an "ARC user".
1. Star Trek
2. Obliterating opponents with Star Trek items (or mostly based on canon)
3. Star Trek
4. Slowly fading hope that major bugs will be addressed in a timely fashion.
5. Star Trek
I tried the game for the first time four years ago solely because it's Star Trek and I've played nearly every single Star Trek game in existence.
I liked what I've played during the Beta and I've purchased the Collector's Edition shortly after. I've mostly enjoyed the overall MMO experience that can be solo'ed OR played with friends, as well as the mixture of ground and space battles, with the latter being very much reminiscent of the old Starfleet Command titles.
Right now though... I still enjoy the game. I still consider it fun and I will defend it for being fun, despite all the bugs, money grabs, grinds, power creep and such. I don't agree with many Cryptic's/PWE's decissions, but that doesn't change the fact that the game at it's core can still be enjoyable.
So it all depends on how much time I can spare. I play the game because I consider the concept fun. I also appreciate the overall business model which - despite what many people think - is really light on the F2P players. I've made some new friends, we run a FED and KDF fleets and enjoy some PvE action from time to time.
Also, for every terrible decission Cryptic makes there's something that gets my attention. A new Featured Episode, an event, some new ship I've been waiting for, or other type of content or mechanic. It's not perfect, far from it, yet I've already invested a lot of time and money in the game I'll continue to do so. Recently I'm not playing as much as I've used to, but I don't consider dropping the game completely. If anything, I'll just boycott some of the Cryptic's money grabs by not spending any money. :P But I'll still keep logging in despite all that.
1, The friends I have made in this game
2. The fleet I am in and the responsibilities I have chosen to accept
3. The fact it is a space/scifi mmo
4. Star Trek
5. Nothing else appeals to me right now. Though a couple MMOs coming down the pipe soon might.
Fleet Admiral Rylana - Fed Tac - U.S.S Wild Card - Tactical Miracle Worker Cruiser
Lifetime Subscriber since 2012 == 17,200 Accolades = RIP PvP and Vice Squad
Chief of Starfleet Intelligence Service == Praise Cheesus
Just a side note: Cryptic has announced that even after they require a launcher to launch the game launcher, Steam will still be an acceptable alternative to Arc. Which I laud, because I can turn Steam off after launching the game, but Arc just sits there gobbling up my system resources like a starving tribble...
All hail the ^Hypnotoad^
1. It's a science fiction mmo, which is a rarity in a market dominated by WoW clones.
2. The F2P platform and PVE environment suits my casual gamestyle where I can't guarantee how much time I have for gaming.
3. It's supposed to be set in the Star Trek universe
I do have issues with the grind and I can't see the point of reworking old episodes without more end game content. Frankly I think the reward structure of these old episodes should be revised to be included in the reputation reward system to give them actual replay value. And finally I am vehemently opposed to any forced implementation of the ARC platform the purpose of which is, at best, superfluous.
I've heard a great deal about Star Citizen and I have been a fan of Chris Roberts previous work, but with more than 37million dollars pledged to his project, it is now well past the time for promises and he begins producing in earnest.
If something is not broken, don't fix it, if it is broken, don't leave it broken.
I love flying a defiant class ship and the dream that someday cryptic will get Nicole De Boer to reprise Ezri Dax......and host a meet and greet with her for the players. That's why I play!
i find the stories interesting, the repeatable content is the right length to give me my fix when ever i need it. I dont encounter that many bugs that actually hamper my gameplay. the reps really dont bother me as i play enough to get them done in short order and ive seen grinds much much worse and arc is working perfectly fine for me.
Trek themed RP really. I have four alts who all represent themes I enjoy from the Trek universe. The game is broad enough that I can (passably) have an Enterprise-themed ship and crew, and a Gorn hegemony vessel. One of my Klingons is an adaptation of a PC from the old FASA RPG of the 1980s. I enjoy developing the ships and their crews, while having themes provides a really good mental buffer against "needing" the new shiny ship and gear.
The gameplay is casual enough that I can dip in and out... runs of STF / rep missions when they appear, followed by PVP and DOffing when they're done. Casual PVP is good as long as you don't go in expecting to win.
I've said it before, but STO actually works much better for the KDF than the other factions. The game basically expects your captain to be a privateer engaged in a constant series of battles and raids. This is bang on for the Klingons and their allies but remains jarring for Starfleet and, to a lesser extent, the Roms.
I am personally strongly against Arc, Lockboxes and the repetitive grind that STO turned into mainly under D'Angelo and continued under DStahl with the support of PWE.
What keeps me here?
Is it the community? no!
Is it the prospect of something changeing? no!
Is because the game is good? heck-no!
The reason... The ONLY reason I am still here, is my fleet and the people in it.
Don't look silly... Don't call it the "Z-Store/Zen Store"...
the only reason I play sto is its a fun game, I have read a lot of comments from other users who knock the game for being too much of a grind what with the rep and fleet holdings and now the Christmas & other events but I just cant see it.
I often think that some players just have too many characters to cope with, it is most often that the players that complain about grind say `how much fun is this going to be after I have done it with 9 characters?`
there was even one guy who had like 5 or 6 accounts on the go and 3 of them were lifetime subbed.
I really think that when you have too many characters on the go you start to miss the fun side of the game and only see how much you need to do to get XXXX for all your characters this is when what is to some players great fun to others becomes an abominable grind, and once the fun has gone so does the player.
I have a lifetime sub myself and could quite easily create more characters but I have realised that I can only play sto for a certain amount of time each day and if I have more characters my current ones will only end up suffering as a consequence this is why at the moment I am happy to stick to only 3 characters and even then it does become a bit of a juggling act with them sometimes.
I will I dare say get another character if they ever bring out another faction but if it gets a bit much I can always alternate what characters I play on a daily basis most of the time.
don't knock me if I'm wrong its just that I have noticed that the players that moan the most often have a lot of characters.
edit:
ok so there are a few things I am not too keen on myself in the game and I would like to see them changed but overall there is nothing I cant work around and still have fun, all we can do is make a comment on the forum and hope that if there are enough like minded players the devs will make a change, and they do take notice sometimes you know.
I have found that if there's something that really bugs me in the game I just try to avoid that part and do something else instead.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
what keep me around is the forums not really played the game since LOR went live why because i do not care for doing the same mission 1000000000000000 times over for sub par items and sets
Haven't read 3 pages of replies, but to answer the original post title:
Nothing. Nothing makes me want to play this game after the recent patches and nothing entices me to want to play in the future with all the news/blogs/hints/events talking about what they are working into the game in the coming months.
Do you hear that, Cryptic? Nothing you are doing is good, right now. You are in a unique position of having a pre-existing player base that WANTS to give you money but you're killing the game and driving them off systematically. The ONLY reason many of us choose STO is because of the Star Trek theme. There are no other games that cater to this theme right now. That won't keep us for long, as many are at (or PAST) the tipping point where the desire to play within this theme is horrifically outweighed by the terrible product that we have to suffer through to enjoy said theme.
I think lots of players who think negatively of STO want to keep playing, they just don't want to grind. Problem is that is the endgame for STO.
You either play ultra casually, decide not to try for the best ships or gear and make do with widely available kit, and enjoy yourself. Or you tackle the never ending grind of rep systems, fleet systems and now events in a futile effort to get the best of everything.
I attempted the latter and it burned me out. This time I'm playing casual with a single KDF toon only. I don't touch dailies unless I fancy playing one for the fun of it. I don't grind for anything at all, just save up for it instead. I've decided not to grind out all the rep systems and instead take them on 2 at a time, and only up to T4. This will still give me MK XI rep gear which is more than enough for my needs.
I do still have fun. Good nights in Ker'rat still offer some excitement and laughs, STF's still can surprise you with flawless pugs or near mission failures, and there is still foundry stuff too.
Players just need to fight the 'ooo shiny' impulse and not be incited into grinding.
I have always been a Star Trek fan so I much enjoy playing in that genre/environment.
I very much enjoy the customization availablities both in races, careers, ships and builds and skill trees, and not just for captains but for boffs as well. I like the doff system.
I like to anticipate and occasionally get good drops, and new boffs as I level and I have occasionally bought a lock box key or two. I like captin training boffs.
Dare I say it, I like the grind and improving myself little by little until I can "Omega-out" (or max the other rep systems)) so I can go back through some of the more difficult episodes and "avenge " myself on the villains that made my life miserable when my equipment was of lesser quality and so I can do better in STF, which I most enjoy doing.
I enjoy the sense of accomplishment following a successful "grind" (anything worth having is worth waiting for or working for) but I also like the ability to buy dil and or go to the c-store to get other things I want when I get impatient.
I like a game where effectiveness increases through use of keybinds and trays set to keys and the ability to customise powers instead of having to become a joystick monkey with carpal tunnel.
I like reading the forums, reading suggestions and then trying out the different builds, skill trees and tactics that are suggested.
I like the nearly endless variety of surprises available through the Foundry missions.
I like being able to build my own little fleet rather than having to put up with fleet politics.
My new goal is to build a "troll killer" Fed ship to protect people doing Kerrat. I'll see what happens.
I just like the game and most of the folks I meet are fun so I pug a lot.
I like seeing International players from other countries and watching them chat in their native language in the chat box during a pug and watch them sometimes try to acomodate me by speaking a little bit of imperfect but inteligable English too. The Germans are great at doing this and they play really well too.
I think lots of players who think negatively of STO want to keep playing, they just don't want to grind. Problem is that is the endgame for STO.
You either play ultra casually, decide not to try for the best ships or gear and make do with widely available kit, and enjoy yourself. Or you tackle the never ending grind of rep systems, fleet systems and now events in a futile effort to get the best of everything.
I attempted the latter and it burned me out. This time I'm playing casual with a single KDF toon only. I don't touch dailies unless I fancy playing one for the fun of it. I don't grind for anything at all, just save up for it instead. I've decided not to grind out all the rep systems and instead take them on 2 at a time, and only up to T4. This will still give me MK XI rep gear which is more than enough for my needs.
I do still have fun. Good nights in Ker'rat still offer some excitement and laughs, STF's still can surprise you with flawless pugs or near mission failures, and there is still foundry stuff too.
Players just need to fight the 'ooo shiny' impulse and not be incited into grinding.
same mentality here. grinding doesnt translate with me, but on occasions i have been known to really get into that grinding zone and sometimes it can last maybe 2 weeks before it derails and thats the end of it. most of the stuff on the game isnt worth a damn to me, so i got no reason to care about it. like that risian summer event for that corvette, its just another escort "2 canoes with a cockpit".
T6 Miranda Hero Ship FTW. Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Comments
2. Obliterating opponents with Star Trek items (or mostly based on canon)
3. Star Trek
4. Slowly fading hope that major bugs will be addressed in a timely fashion.
5. Star Trek
I liked what I've played during the Beta and I've purchased the Collector's Edition shortly after. I've mostly enjoyed the overall MMO experience that can be solo'ed OR played with friends, as well as the mixture of ground and space battles, with the latter being very much reminiscent of the old Starfleet Command titles.
Right now though... I still enjoy the game. I still consider it fun and I will defend it for being fun, despite all the bugs, money grabs, grinds, power creep and such. I don't agree with many Cryptic's/PWE's decissions, but that doesn't change the fact that the game at it's core can still be enjoyable.
So it all depends on how much time I can spare. I play the game because I consider the concept fun. I also appreciate the overall business model which - despite what many people think - is really light on the F2P players. I've made some new friends, we run a FED and KDF fleets and enjoy some PvE action from time to time.
Also, for every terrible decission Cryptic makes there's something that gets my attention. A new Featured Episode, an event, some new ship I've been waiting for, or other type of content or mechanic. It's not perfect, far from it, yet I've already invested a lot of time and money in the game I'll continue to do so. Recently I'm not playing as much as I've used to, but I don't consider dropping the game completely. If anything, I'll just boycott some of the Cryptic's money grabs by not spending any money. :P But I'll still keep logging in despite all that.
1, The friends I have made in this game
2. The fleet I am in and the responsibilities I have chosen to accept
3. The fact it is a space/scifi mmo
4. Star Trek
5. Nothing else appeals to me right now. Though a couple MMOs coming down the pipe soon might.
Fleet Admiral Rylana - Fed Tac - U.S.S Wild Card - Tactical Miracle Worker Cruiser
Lifetime Subscriber since 2012 == 17,200 Accolades = RIP PvP and Vice Squad
Chief of Starfleet Intelligence Service == Praise Cheesus
I tend to keep on playing for a long time to come. Unless the game stops.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
2.Forum snark.
3.Dwindling hope that all this BS grinding and farming will serve a greater purpose in the games future, other than being stupid vanity items
1. It's a science fiction mmo, which is a rarity in a market dominated by WoW clones.
2. The F2P platform and PVE environment suits my casual gamestyle where I can't guarantee how much time I have for gaming.
3. It's supposed to be set in the Star Trek universe
I do have issues with the grind and I can't see the point of reworking old episodes without more end game content. Frankly I think the reward structure of these old episodes should be revised to be included in the reputation reward system to give them actual replay value. And finally I am vehemently opposed to any forced implementation of the ARC platform the purpose of which is, at best, superfluous.
I've heard a great deal about Star Citizen and I have been a fan of Chris Roberts previous work, but with more than 37million dollars pledged to his project, it is now well past the time for promises and he begins producing in earnest.
Foundry, featured episodes and new story missions.
I mess about with ship builds.
Catch up with friends in game.
I have had an stf habit for the last 3 years which I have tried to kick.
All in all its the only Star trek mmo around at the moment.
So unless a Star Trek co-op rpg set in a open persistent and dynamic Trek universe comes along.
I will continue getting my fix here.
i find the stories interesting, the repeatable content is the right length to give me my fix when ever i need it. I dont encounter that many bugs that actually hamper my gameplay. the reps really dont bother me as i play enough to get them done in short order and ive seen grinds much much worse and arc is working perfectly fine for me.
Could not have said it better myself.
why do i play? to kill some time.
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Trek themed RP really. I have four alts who all represent themes I enjoy from the Trek universe. The game is broad enough that I can (passably) have an Enterprise-themed ship and crew, and a Gorn hegemony vessel. One of my Klingons is an adaptation of a PC from the old FASA RPG of the 1980s. I enjoy developing the ships and their crews, while having themes provides a really good mental buffer against "needing" the new shiny ship and gear.
The gameplay is casual enough that I can dip in and out... runs of STF / rep missions when they appear, followed by PVP and DOffing when they're done. Casual PVP is good as long as you don't go in expecting to win.
I've said it before, but STO actually works much better for the KDF than the other factions. The game basically expects your captain to be a privateer engaged in a constant series of battles and raids. This is bang on for the Klingons and their allies but remains jarring for Starfleet and, to a lesser extent, the Roms.
What keeps me here?
Is it the community? no!
Is it the prospect of something changeing? no!
Is because the game is good? heck-no!
The reason... The ONLY reason I am still here, is my fleet and the people in it.
I often think that some players just have too many characters to cope with, it is most often that the players that complain about grind say `how much fun is this going to be after I have done it with 9 characters?`
there was even one guy who had like 5 or 6 accounts on the go and 3 of them were lifetime subbed.
I really think that when you have too many characters on the go you start to miss the fun side of the game and only see how much you need to do to get XXXX for all your characters this is when what is to some players great fun to others becomes an abominable grind, and once the fun has gone so does the player.
I have a lifetime sub myself and could quite easily create more characters but I have realised that I can only play sto for a certain amount of time each day and if I have more characters my current ones will only end up suffering as a consequence this is why at the moment I am happy to stick to only 3 characters and even then it does become a bit of a juggling act with them sometimes.
I will I dare say get another character if they ever bring out another faction but if it gets a bit much I can always alternate what characters I play on a daily basis most of the time.
don't knock me if I'm wrong its just that I have noticed that the players that moan the most often have a lot of characters.
and that.:)
edit:
ok so there are a few things I am not too keen on myself in the game and I would like to see them changed but overall there is nothing I cant work around and still have fun, all we can do is make a comment on the forum and hope that if there are enough like minded players the devs will make a change, and they do take notice sometimes you know.
I have found that if there's something that really bugs me in the game I just try to avoid that part and do something else instead.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
system Lord Baal is dead
(opens sarcasm) Me too (/ends sarcasm)
their are specialist that help with this sort of thing
system Lord Baal is dead
Though I do have fun playing STO.
R.I.P
Nothing. Nothing makes me want to play this game after the recent patches and nothing entices me to want to play in the future with all the news/blogs/hints/events talking about what they are working into the game in the coming months.
Do you hear that, Cryptic? Nothing you are doing is good, right now. You are in a unique position of having a pre-existing player base that WANTS to give you money but you're killing the game and driving them off systematically. The ONLY reason many of us choose STO is because of the Star Trek theme. There are no other games that cater to this theme right now. That won't keep us for long, as many are at (or PAST) the tipping point where the desire to play within this theme is horrifically outweighed by the terrible product that we have to suffer through to enjoy said theme.
I think lots of players who think negatively of STO want to keep playing, they just don't want to grind. Problem is that is the endgame for STO.
You either play ultra casually, decide not to try for the best ships or gear and make do with widely available kit, and enjoy yourself. Or you tackle the never ending grind of rep systems, fleet systems and now events in a futile effort to get the best of everything.
I attempted the latter and it burned me out. This time I'm playing casual with a single KDF toon only. I don't touch dailies unless I fancy playing one for the fun of it. I don't grind for anything at all, just save up for it instead. I've decided not to grind out all the rep systems and instead take them on 2 at a time, and only up to T4. This will still give me MK XI rep gear which is more than enough for my needs.
I do still have fun. Good nights in Ker'rat still offer some excitement and laughs, STF's still can surprise you with flawless pugs or near mission failures, and there is still foundry stuff too.
Players just need to fight the 'ooo shiny' impulse and not be incited into grinding.
I very much enjoy the customization availablities both in races, careers, ships and builds and skill trees, and not just for captains but for boffs as well. I like the doff system.
I like to anticipate and occasionally get good drops, and new boffs as I level and I have occasionally bought a lock box key or two. I like captin training boffs.
Dare I say it, I like the grind and improving myself little by little until I can "Omega-out" (or max the other rep systems)) so I can go back through some of the more difficult episodes and "avenge " myself on the villains that made my life miserable when my equipment was of lesser quality and so I can do better in STF, which I most enjoy doing.
I enjoy the sense of accomplishment following a successful "grind" (anything worth having is worth waiting for or working for) but I also like the ability to buy dil and or go to the c-store to get other things I want when I get impatient.
I like a game where effectiveness increases through use of keybinds and trays set to keys and the ability to customise powers instead of having to become a joystick monkey with carpal tunnel.
I like reading the forums, reading suggestions and then trying out the different builds, skill trees and tactics that are suggested.
I like the nearly endless variety of surprises available through the Foundry missions.
I like being able to build my own little fleet rather than having to put up with fleet politics.
My new goal is to build a "troll killer" Fed ship to protect people doing Kerrat. I'll see what happens.
I just like the game and most of the folks I meet are fun so I pug a lot.
I like seeing International players from other countries and watching them chat in their native language in the chat box during a pug and watch them sometimes try to acomodate me by speaking a little bit of imperfect but inteligable English too. The Germans are great at doing this and they play really well too.
I just like the game.
same mentality here. grinding doesnt translate with me, but on occasions i have been known to really get into that grinding zone and sometimes it can last maybe 2 weeks before it derails and thats the end of it. most of the stuff on the game isnt worth a damn to me, so i got no reason to care about it. like that risian summer event for that corvette, its just another escort "2 canoes with a cockpit".
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
-shrug-
I got nothin' here. "It passes some time" maybe?